Shot with a Hasselblad camera and a 150mm Zeiss Planar lens. Film: Agfapan 100 apx. Printed and then scanned from the print.
The thing I liked most about the images I made of this show, besides the beautiful and energy filled faces, is the way the curtains on the left and the background behind the actor on the right are rendered. I used a giant softbox with extra diffusion very close in to the actors and kept the power on that flash head as low as possible. I was shooting at f5.6 or around there. I lit the curtain with a small softbox and put the curtain far enough back so that it was lit separately from the actors. There's a third set of lights on the far background, modified by grid spots.
In my mind, at the time I was shooting this, the construction of the out of focus background elements was as important as the lighting on the main subjects.
I didn't even notice the background until I read your last paragraph and that is probably the result of the care you put into the construction of the lighting on the background. But having seen an earlier post in color I think I would prefer this as a color version. Color appears to be an important part of their culture and removing the color just doesn't work for me, as if that means a hill of beans anyway. Your image made me think about that.
ReplyDeleteGlenn, This image did not "have the color removed." It was originally shot in black and white at the same shoot that the three person shot was taken. Back at the time the image was taken the majority of the media outlets in central Texas were still running supplied PR in black and white so part of the responsibility of the photographer was to shoot in both media and become as proficient in what would eventually bring in color equally well in black and white. It wasn't as easy back they as just "dropping out" the color.
ReplyDeleteBut my real point is that backgrounds are important.
Thanks for the explanation Kirk. I appreciate the time and effort you take to provide the insight into the what and why back then.
ReplyDelete